New Orleans Saints retain former FBI chief's firm to investigate wiretapping and bounty program allegations

The New Orleans Saints have hired a consulting and investigations firm headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh to conduct an internal investigation of wiretapping allegations against General Manager Mickey Loomis and the bounty program that the NFL said was conducted during former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' tenure. Saints Vice President of Communications Greg Bensel said Friday that Freeh Group International Solutions, which will first focus on the wiretapping accusations, will have full access to the team.

"Serious allegations have been made about our organization this offseason," Bensel said via email. "We take these allegations very seriously. As a result, we have hired the Freeh Group, founded by former director of the FBI and former federal judge Louis Freeh. Mr. Benson moved quickly to hire them and has spared no expense to get to the bottom of these allegations."

View full sizeAlex Brandon, The Associated Press archiveFormer FBI Director Louis Freeh is head of Freeh Group International Solutions.

The Freeh Group said it had no comment on the investigation. The Saints retained the firm in April, and Bensel said its investigation is ongoing.

"We have no timeline on when the investigation will end," Bensel said. "It will be thorough and comprehensive, as they will investigate everything and everyone associated with the allegations made against us."

Penn State hired the Freeh Group last year to investigate allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse.

Freeh was appointed FBI director by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and served until 2001.

In April, an anonymously sourced ESPN story reported that Loomis had a device installed in his Superdome box that could listen to opposing coaches' communications between 2002 and 2004. The Louisiana State Police and the FBI launched a joint investigation of the possible wiretapping violations. As of Friday, State Police investigators said they had no new findings to report.

The U.S. Eastern District Court of Louisiana has not filed any charges against Loomis or the Saints in connection with the incident. The Saints and Loomis have strongly rebuked the story.

"In my 28 or 29 years in the NFL, I have never listened to an opposing team's communication," Loomis said at an April 27 news conference. "I have never asked for the capability to listen to an opposing team's communications. I have never inquired as to the possibility of listening in on an opposing team's communications. And I have never been aware of any capability to listen in on an opposing team's communications at the Superdome or at any NFL stadium."

If the report is true, a federal court could find Loomis in violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, which prohibits the interception of electronic communications using any mechanical device.

Though the statute of limitations for wiretapping crimes extends five or six years, the window for related conspiracy charges can be extended from the last point when an overt act of conspiracy is committed. Any attempt to cover up wiretapping violations would fall under that category.

Other NFL teams who were victims of wiretapping would also get the opportunity to file charges. Their two-year statute of limitations would not start until they find out that violations of the law have occurred.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no involvement in the Freeh Group's hiring. The NFL has said it would not get involved while state and federal investigations were ongoing, and those investigations have no specific timetable.

Saints owner Tom Benson's decision to hire the Freeh Group also comes on the heels of the NFL's bounty program investigation, which concluded in March and resulted in team penalties and the suspension of several members of the Saints organization. Loomis received an eight-game suspension, and the team was fined $500,000 and lost second-round draft choices in 2012 and 2013. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the season, and Williams was suspended indefinitely.

The NFL suspended four players, including current Saints Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, for their role in the bounty program. A league source confirmed that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will hear the players' appeals to their suspensions June 18. Vilma is facing a season-long suspension, and Smith received a four-game suspension.

Former Saints Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove were also suspended. Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, was suspended three games, and Hargrove, now with the Green Bay Packers, was suspended for eight games.